Italian "Austerity" In Action: Maserati For Its UK Ambassador

While we already know how Spain's Prime Minister is celebrating the country's brand new austerity budget (From Bloomberg: "The premier and five staff drank 10 beers and seven bottles of wine with a dinner of filet steak and turbot on their flight back from a European championship soccer match the day after Spain asked its European partners for a 100 billion-euro bailout to recapitalize its banks, the weekly reported, citing catering bills from the Spanish Air Force.") there was little color on how the "other" country undergoing austerity (not really) for the common man was enacting belt-tightening and spending reductions. We say "not really" because as we have shown, Europe has yet to actually implement austerity. And yet the people suffer. Or rather, once again, it is the common man who suffers, and because of that is convinced that the government is spending less. It certainly isn't as we showed in the case of Spain whose tax revenues have increased even as spending has increased, promises to the contrary notwithstanding. But where is the money going then? Surely if the common man is suffering, everyone else must be too. Turns out the answer is no. As the following picture below shows, where previously a simple Lancia with the license plate "ITA1" once stood, the car that is now proudly parked in the same spot and drives around Italy's ambassador to the UK, Alain Giorgio Maria Economides (read his heartfelt message to all here), is a new Maserati Quattroporte.

On the 6th of June 2011, Maserati proudly sponsored an exhibition of works by Italian Contemporary artists in the beautiful scenario of the Italian Embassy in Mayfair.

The Maserati Quattroporte, official car of the Italian Ambassador in London, took pride of place in front of the entrance along with a Maserati GranTurismo S Automatic and a Maserati GranCabrio: the perfect addition to the showcased art works.

And while one may claim that all Italy did is rotate from one Italian-made car to another, what really happened is public funding was used to purchase a $200,000 car that ultimately padded the revenues of a private, publicly-traded company, Fiat (which last we checked has not been nationalized. Yet) and its shareholders. Because all that is happening is public money going to private profits, i.e. the 1%: precisely what everyone lately has been agitating against.

And yet nobody cares.

So the next time the "common people" in Italy (or Spain, or Greece, or any other country) ask why their standard of living is deteriorating even as public spending and debt issuance continues to simply go up, look at the picture above... or that of the Italian ambassador to the UK below.

Hey, same shit here at home. What was it, a $100K/month bill for food and beverages on the Air Force plane that Nanzi Pelousi used to ferry herself back and forth when the BigBungaBungain the Hoose? Seem to remember it reported in the Enquirer.

So true. In fact betcha that some of the Eyeties in the Gubamint Finance Orifices have got plans intact like people who work at Apple, Titleist, Ford, etc., Family and Friend Purchase Deals where they can get the product real cheap... like gold ingots, treasury obligations, bearer bonds, favors, etc.

You're too good, DoChen.May peace and good health be upon you and yours.

http://en.ria.ru/world/20121001/176322954.html <--- Japanese, those not dying slowly of cancer or thyroid conditions showing up...to protest the US base, seems odd considering the US hasn't stepped foot on the soil except for retrival since the nuclear problem.

ABC, CBS & NBC Blackout! Major New Findings in Fast & Furious Scandal IPublished on 10-02-2012 12:01 AM
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Over the weekend the Univision network broke major news in the Fast and Furious gunwalking scandal. They found 57 previously unreported guns used in crimes by Mexican cartels, but ABC, CBS and NBC have yet to report the Spanish-language network’s findings.
There were zero mentions on Sunday night’s ABC's World News and CBS's Evening News (NBC's Nightly News was pre-empted by Ryder Cup coverage) or on any of Monday’s morning shows. The blackout on ABC’s broadcasts is particularly confounding since they have an excerpt from Univision's September 30 report on ABC's official Web site. (video after the jump)

By Geoffrey Dickens | October 01, 2012 |newsbusters

The refusal by ABC, CBS or NBC to report the findings is remarkable since the Univision report not only contains politically explosive information to a sitting administration at the height of the election season but also compelling human tragedy. Univision’s Gerardo Reyes and Santiago Wills reported “Indirectly, the United States government played a role in the massacre” of 14 Mexican teens in a one-story house by “supplying some of the firearms uses by the cartel murders.”

The lack of coverage by the Big Three (ABC, NBC, CBS) networks continues their trend of mostly ignoring major events in the scandal that has led to calls for Attorney General Eric Holder’s resignation.

And it always has been, but it *does* seem to be getting worse. Any government agency/employee, any cop, any military above the rank of, say, Major/Lt. Cmdr. goes 1st class all the way. It ain't like it's their money, after all. Why? Because Fuck You, that's why.

They say socialism is great until you run out of other peoples money. Socialist have found a way around, why do you need to obviously take other peoples money when you can just steal everyones purchasing power by just printing money out of thin air. Yet the masses are totally ignorant and apathetic.

"They say fascism is great until you run out of other peoples money. Fascists have found a way around, why do you need to obviously take other peoples money when you can just steal everyones purchasing power by just printing money out of thin air so you can bailout your own monopolies (bad ideas and bad management). Yet the masses are totally ignorant and apathetic to the present police state."

Nice correction - you're one of the few who understands that the Western world is now ruled by Fascists. Jayda's comment proves he's either ignorant or a Fascist sympathizer because the Italian government taking taxpayer money to buy a Maserati produced by Fiat an Italian corporation to give to one of their Ambassadors is pure Fascism or as Mussolini preferred calling it Corporatism.

I'm sure the reds,the blues, or whatever like body politic they have over there will have one side condemning him while the other side is protecting him proffessing his willingness to fight for " the little guy". Idiots ... All of them.

Do they still have the barricades on Grosvenor Sq? The Italians and the Brits might not have guns or shoot at people in London, but the US Embassy there has a full Marine contingent to battle with the jihadists of Knightsbridge, unlike at the US facilities in Libya, and the Italian Embassy is a clear shot at less than the basic M4 qualification distance..

Ask any European and it's good times as usual despite the occassional Greek or Spainish pout-fest strike (that's promptly over in a matter of days anyway). If things are so bad, why are the good times still rolling? Cushiest depression ever if you ask me. When the queues cease to form for $4 lattes then you'll know things might be getting bad. Until then, spare us the drama please. Adding a zero to a spreadsheet is all it takes.

Depression or Boom, these guys always eat steak and lobster. It's just a job--they're just paycheck players--and fine food, drink, and autos are just a few of the perks. No reason to get all bent out of shape about it, because it's not going to change.

Why the hell not? He is the representative of his country--why shouldn't he flaunt one of his nations finest exports? The value to his nation is far greater than the comparatively trivial amount it costs.

Did Mario Monti himself give him the final OK?? Or was it Madame Polverini? Those f... Terroni di prima categoria, vergognatevi! But that's life. It won't take 3 months til 10y BTP is heading much higher. SuperfrakfurtMario can not help, too much to come up for!